Monday, May 31, 2010

"Retired Navy Lt. John Finn—the first American to receive the nation's highest military award for defending sailors under a torrent of gunfire during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor—died yesterday. He was 100."

Sunday, May 30, 2010

As has been common knowledge for the last few months, Summer Latin is going ahead in Milwaukee, and interested persons need to contact Fr. Reggie to request the entrance test. The address to write to is here: http://de-tribulis.blogspot.com/.

Note, though, that Summer Latin starts in early June (just about now). Cutting it very fine to start making enquiries at this point!

Fr. Reggie said he's had about SEVENTY applications and the applicants have a very high average level of Latinity (the best it's ever been, he said).

Rev. Dr. Al Wilder, O.P. on his last day of class after teaching the sacred science in Rome for thirty-seven years.

A legend has retired and the students honored him with a surprise thank you.

A convert to Catholicism he graduated from Harvard and entered the Order of Preachers to become a Thomist. A wizard at philosophy and theology he remained faithful and through the long and difficult years he taught thousands of Rome students the Faith.

He was one bright light who shined upon many: res accedent luminis rebus (one light shines upon others).

Friday, May 28, 2010

Why is the tiara so important on the papal arms as a symbol of Christian unity?

"In order that the episcopate itself might be one and undivided, He placed blessed Peter over the other apostles, and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and fellowship."

Some really special relics of Pope Saint Pius V ended up in the hands of Saint Philip Neri. He and his Oratorians have preserved them and they remain some of the best kept. These can be seen at the Chiesa Nuova in Rome.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Mores are customary usages (unwritten laws). Such was always the case with the tiara on the papal coat-of-arms. Today there is some unecessary confusion as we sometimes see the mitre put in place of the tiara [as seen here] which clearly comes from a confused idea of collegiality.

With the death of Pope John Paul and the quick election of Pope Benedict the new arms of the newly elected Pontiff was printed on a square of white with no tiara and was simply attached over the former embroidered arms of tiara, keys and crest of Pope John Paul [as depicted in photo].

It has been five years already. Commission a new drapery with the new arms of the newly elected Pope embroidered with tiara, keys and crest and tell people why (cf. Lumen Gentium Chapter III: The Hierarchial Structure of the Church).

This is what the Decree on the Bishops' Pastoral Office in the Church has to say:

"In this Church of Christ the Roman Pontiff is the successor of Peter, to whom Christ entrusted the feeding of His sheep and lambs. Hence by divine institution he enjoys supreme, full, immediate, and universal authority over the care of souls. Since he is pastor of all the faithful, his mission is to provide for the common good of the universal Church and for the good of the individual churches. He holds, therefore, a primacy of ordinary power over all the churches."

Commentary by Fr. Walter M. Abbott, S.J.: "The terms describing different levels of authority fall into three categories: (1) that of the Pope; (2) that of the college of bishops; (3) that of individual bishops in their own dioceses. The Pope in his own right has authority that is supreme - over all the churches; full - over everything pertaining to them; immediate - over all members, including bishops, without intermediary; and ordinary - by the very reason of his office (not delegated). The college of bishops, together with its head the Pope and never without him, has this same authority over the universal Church. In his own diocese the local bishop has the same power, but it is particular to a given diocese, and subordinate (as Karl Rahner put it) to the suprme authority because the universal Church as an event is manifested in a particular diocese, and the bishop embodies the universal Church whose unity is embodied in the Pope."